Does anyone menu plan to cater for a teenage vegetarian and a super fussy 11 year old?!? Help!!!

[BubblegumFactory]

So, struggling to cater for 2 different children (DH and I will eat anything) easily - and seem to have ended up making random different meals for us all to accommodate a veggie DD and a fusspot DS.
Anyone else managed to crack this conundrum and care to share your ideas?!?

Sounds like us! We're also a family of 4...DH and I eat anything, one dd barely eats any meat bar chicken and the other's just fussy.

I tend to make things which has at least a component they'll both eat. For example, fussy DD will always eat roast potatoes...so if I make curry....I make those to go with it instead of rice and then she can eat some other form of protein either with the meal or later...she'll sometimes end up eating nothing but potatoes and peas for her meal but will have two boiled eggs later or a cheese toastie.

The one who barely eats meat will do the same...she'll eat something out of the meal or she won't eat it at all and will have something else...bt my rule is this...if you don't want to eat what I've made, you don't eat.

I WILL make you something after I've eaten my own meal...or you can make your own. Mine are 11 and 14 though. If yours are younger...you could try including something they will definitely eat as a side dish and then offering a different protein later on.

Just seen yours are the same ages as mine. Let them supplement their own meals...let them eat bits of what you've made, the bits they like...then provide avocado, eggs, tuna and cheese...they can make it up later.

I won't cook separate meals. I try to make something ONE of them likes but it's not possible.

At their age they can eat the rice or potatoes or veg....then later, make themselves some scrambled eggs or something.

Don't pander to it too much. Do yours cook a light meal for themselves sometimes?

I have made some good veggie stuff- felafel, veg chilli, veg curry etc but the fusspot won’t eat any of it so I find myself making a meat version too. If it’s something like Thai green curry, this is pretty easy to do using quorn chunks eg but I suppose I’m just liking for some inspiration as I’m just getting tired of always having to think inventively!

Try to make easier accompaniments for the meat dishes you eat...I make bean bowls...heavyish bean based salads filled with lovely salad bits and then the veggie can eat a larger portion of that with a side of eggs or something..or avocado.

This kind of thing

www.purewow.com/food/vegetarian-bowl-recipes

Yes but my fussy one is 10
Dd14 is a vegetarian who eats cheese but doesn’t like eggs
Ds10 won’t eat anything spicy and isn’t keen on meat but will eat fish, doesn’t like most vegetables
I don’t like fish and rarely eat meat but I’m happy with dairy and vegetables, although I’m can’t eat peppers
DH just likes food
We rarely eat frozen food (except vegetables) or tins or anything processed
I make a lot of meals that have 1 or 2 elements that we all like ( salad, vegetables or rice) and adapt the protein for each person
Mexican works really well as do hone made pizzas

Will the fussy one eat meat chilli or curry? or is it any chilli or curry they dislike? I think it’s the first then start off by making two big batches of each and freeze spare portions then just rotate which you make. So for example if you were to have chilli every week for the first three weeks you make a meat chilli veggie has spare portion from the freezer everyone else has fresh, then on the forth week you make veggie, veggie eats fresh every one else eats frozen and you replenish freezer stocks for The coming weeks.

I think it’s the fussy one causing you more grief than the others plus veggie food tends to be slightly quicker to cook. Can you say more about fussy ones likes and dislikes.

Tacos - or any ‘self build’ food! Get them to help with the salad prep/cheese grating too.

Or give any non-takers plain pasta with grated cheese until they beg for something else.

Yes home-made pizzas always work well - I tend to use naan bread as a base as it’s so easy!
I love the idea of those bowls but when I say fussy, I really mean fussy!
This is what I’ve gone for this week
Cheese and leek pie - I make an open-topped ham / egg pie with the leftover pastry and the fusspot child actually eats it!
Home-made pizza using naan bread (easy and quick and adaptable)
Baked potatoes (choice of topping)
Salmon and home/made chips for me and the fusspot - veg teen will eat birds eye veggie fingers on this day!
I’ll make up day 5 when I get there!
Why does food have to be so difficult?!?!?

Fajitas are good as you can stuff with different things

The fussy one has random likes and dislikes - will eat meat chilli / Mexican chicken burritos / curry but won’t eat potatoes in any form (unless chips)
He will eat a ham sandwich but if there is even a streak of marg / butter, he won’t touch it!
Won’t eat baked beans ...
... but will eat olives!
atleast yes the veggie one is easy, the little fusspot is the issue. He wouldn’t eat veg chilli / curry etc.
Hoping one day he’ll turn a corner ...

How old are they? What will they eat happily?